<p>It seems that bad luck has been following son around since he began college life last year (I know it could be so much worse, so I do count my blessings). </p>
<p>This is the son who had gf issues, diagnosed with ADD, multiple side effects from new ADD meds, emergency appendectomy, misdemeanor charge by city police for car stereo too loud, roommate problems…</p>
<p>Okay, this year we thought—gonna start out positive and strong. Dorm room ceiling covered in mold. Had to get environment and industrial health involved–tore out ceiling–multiple air quality tests, room repainted—no empty rooms to move in to. Got sick with asthma (due to room ?) after no asthma since 8th grade. Developed sore throat, misdiagnosed as viral, then treated with antibiotics after fever and blood count high. Felt good for two days, now sore throat and can’t talk and has peritonsillar cellulitis with possible developing abscess–on new antibiotic and steroid injection. May have to have abscess drained. Only been in school since 23rd and has missed 3 days going on ?. Already had to drop orgo since he got so far behind. Yikes…I’m pulling out hair and he alternates between being ****ed off and depressed. Thanks for letting me vent, don’t think there is any action to be taken except to get him well and caught up with work–think room is okay now (fingers crossed).</p>
<p>mkm56…poor kid. Hard to not fret about your kid when his health is the centerpiece and it is not there. Hang in there. Maybe he has a Renaissance coming right after these dark ages…life often cycles like that. As a Mom, I would be having a hard time bearing up but I bet he will settle in with the right roommate and stable health sooner rather than later.<br>
Faline2/56…56 was a fine year.</p>
<p>It sounds like some of your son’s current health problems, especially the asthma, could be complications from mold. Consider taking him to a major medical center (e.g., a real specialist) for evaluation. A degraded immune system can cause long-term health problems that could affect not only this semester but the next one, too.</p>
<p>I’m sorry I didn’t say this earlier because I thought it: I’m sorry for your son’s hardships. He’s had a rough time and I’m sure it’s especially hard to endure (for all of you) happening so early in the year. I hope the antibiotics work wonders for him.</p>
<p>Yikes, mkm. I feel for you. My son stopped having asthma in 8th grade, too, and we were so relieved. He was extremely allergic to mold and I’m sure he would relapse if his ceiling were covered in it. Sounds awful! But, young people are resilient and he will probably heal fast once they get the right diagnosis and rx. Hang in there. It’s such a helpless feeling when they are sick or hurting while away at school.</p>
<p>wow! If my kid had been through 1/3 of that list he would probably be living at home now and maybe taking courses at the community college. Did your son successfully complete his freshman year? Good luck for some better luck!! :)</p>
<p>mkm56, geez, I’m so sorry. Sure hope the new antibiotic and steroids do the trick. </p>
<p>I ONLY mention this to let you know you’re not alone: not all in one year (!!) but my S during college also was diagnosed with ADD, had emergency appendectomy (we’re 6 hours away and appendix was wrapped around intestine resulting in 4 day hospital stay), gf problems galore, totalled a car.</p>
<p>At least things are bound to get better. Good luck to your son (and you!).</p>
<p>I wrote you a longish post yesterday that for some reason did not go through. But, I wanted to tell you that I am <em>SO</em> sorry to hear about all that your son has been through!! {{{{{{HUGE HUGS to you BOTH}}}}}}</p>
<p>I <em>SO</em> hope that he begins a rapid recovery and that he has smooth sailing for a LONG time hereafter! Hang in there honey…it <em>WILL</em> get better! Best wishes to you both.</p>
<p>Wow! May you be shortly blessed with a reprieve. I totally understand. Did all the health things with my young man but during Grade 12…spine tumor, flights to Israel for medical visits between music recordings, IB work and final exams. It did get better and then just disappeared.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the support! I sure hope he’s getting everything over with now and the rest of the year goes smoother. All these things have kept him from getting involved much in campus life and I’d like to see him feel that his head is far enough above water to relax and make some fun commitments.</p>
<p>2331, I hope we can avoid the car totalling!</p>
<p>NJres, yes, he completed freshman year and pulled a 3.6+. I kept telling him how proud we were that he did so well under the conditions. We were all glad to see the year end and he had a good summer at home with an internship and one summer school class. </p>
<p>Sent him back to school this evening after a recheck at the emergency clinic. Throat looks better, may not have to drain. He didn’t want to miss Monday classes and we are just 1.5hr. away so…fingers are crossed.</p>
<p>Wow, overseas–spinal tumor. That must have been so scary. I’m glad it all cleared up for your son.</p>
<p>Thanks berurah and cheers, your hugs are always appreciated :).</p>
<p>Update. Son is still sick. Allergies don’t seem to be problem. Four mono spots have been negative. He is now on 3rd course of antibiotic and can barely talk due to sore throat. He is home right now and seeing an ENT here as if we need to do surgery, he is going to have to be close to home. If the doc recommends tonsillectomy sooner rather than later, I’m not sure if he will be able to finish semester and he has worked so hard to keep caught up through all this.</p>
<p>Anybody out there with experience with tonsillectomy in a 20 year old? How long would he have to be out? I’ll find out more tomorrow, right now I’m just obsessing.</p>
<p>One of my best friends got her tonsils out freshman year in the dark ages when the technique was not as good… and the long struggle to stay afloat and on drugs until surgery ended the cycle took a toll. I liked her but remember not being sure about her with those long whiny and sometimes tearful calls home to her parents, the weekend trips home to rest and her struggle to try to do homework. We laugh about this now. She was really really sick! </p>
<p>I barely recognized her the next year as a vivacious, bubbly personality with endless energy. She has reflected on this recently and is now 49 and teaching school. And last time we spoke 2 nights ago, she was driving home after spending a week…taking care of her own father who is ill with cancer. I found her composure remarkable and could see that she is going to be the strong one for them now. This will pass…if possible consider letting him repeat the credits as much as policy will allow. Many fantastic kids require an extra semester to graduate and there are a lot of reasons why summer sessions can help out to meet goals. He will make it work. And get through this. but as a Mom, my heart really goes out to you as we all want things to go smoothly for our kids</p>
<p>Well, back from ENT. The Doc wanted to operate today or tomorrow! Son said “no”. He said he needs some time to get his stuff organized at school–let profs know, get assignments ahead, etc. He is scheduled for next Tues. and thinks he will go back to school the following Monday. I hope he is not disappointed in his recovery time. I am really dreading this! </p>
<p>CT scan showed infection throughout tonsils, soft palate, and down throat. Dr. felt like only hope of clearing this up (after the 3 courses of antibiotics failed) was to get rid of the culprits.</p>
<p>Would love to hear some positive stories to share with him! I shared Faline’s with him and he said he hoped that would be him too.</p>
<p>mkm56…it is so great that you have proof positive that he simply can’t kick this with antibiotics and needs the surgery. Plus an intelligently realistically thought through recovery time. He sounds very headstrong re staying and working out assignments but this could also be a sign of strong character and responsibility so you gotta love it. </p>
<p>However, I am going to budinsky and say this. My GF, she who I saw weeping and whining and with her head on her desk all semester when she also had infections just like this, ended up with a 2.0 her first year. I barely knew her then and wondered if this was a character flaw/fake out or real illness. She was a changed woman after surgery. Her parents didn’t understand her options and exercised none of them as parents in our day were not micromanagers as you recall. She was denied entrance to her graduate school first try as well based on her devastatingly bad first year GPA.<br>
Do not let this illness damage his GPA if you can help him think through this with a consult with a Dean of students. It is not possible for even a fantastic kid like yours to upload factoids and churn them out on exams when he is simply sick as a dog. My S came to us after his bout with mono last spring and finally threw in the towel in a course where he was a. likely failing or b. going to pass with a C minus if there was an Act of God or a D if he was lucky since he was really not well. Up until the night before his medical withdrawal had to be negotiated, he was still struggling with “I can do it!” Our kids have never been quitters, right? We had to eat a few thousand dollars with this decision too mind you. I expect S will end up in a summer session but he likely would have done that one summer anyhow. </p>
<p>But he has an A average instead of a D on his records which he would have had to explain in interviews for little internships ect for the next few years. Granted these things don’t matter once you are in grad school or the work force but you can get arbitrarily eliminated by GPA for some things in the meantime.</p>
<p>He is taking this class again this fall and has an average of over 96. What a difference good health can make. This decision to drop a class required his meeting with A. A Dean to get approval for medical Withdrawal B. That is it. Finito. Only allowed once per four years. C. Met with his class prof, who was a decent fellow about his choices but encouraged him this way…“you have a 42…you can bring that up on the finals to a C maybe.” </p>
<p>anyway, don’t let a good kid get inadvertently punished for being ill and check out all his options. </p>
<p>best to you both and may recovery be swift… a long time of absolute stillness messed up our S’s body clock for weeks and months I have to say…sleep is hard when you don’t exercise because you are afraid you will relapse.</p>
<p>mkm56, ugh, I’m so sorry to hear about all this. As someone who had an tonsillectomy/ emergency appendectomy as a child/teenager and remembers both experiences very well, I feel for your son, especially because of the lousy timing of all this. Best wishes to him for a speedy recovery after the surgery. Glad this will be resolved soon. Please keep us updated.</p>
Get him the tonsillectomy, it’s worth it.</p>